Shield of Democles
by WaywardChocobo
Summary: On the outside, the prince doesn't seem all too weighed down by his immense, progressively growing burden. To his companions, however, the 20 year old orphan who had just lost his home seems to unravel at the edges. If the proverbial sword should hang over their Democles then they would act as shield. Or so they hope. - A retelling of some main/side stories of the game plus fluff!
1. Chapter 1

Prompto wriggled in his reclined bedchair, tossed for a while, and eventually turned on his back, put up his legs and touched the glittering night sky with his feet. Stretching under the stars, he had a hard time going to sleep. Not for lack of an absolutely dire need of rest after a long day's hunting. No, he needed all the sleep he could get, much like his fellow campers. No, it was because they had finally come to an agreement that tomorrow was going to be the day they stopped by the Wiz Chocobo Post. He had been looking forward to that day since the moment Noctis agreed to bring the fluffy haired chocoboy along for the road trip. He could pet them all day long, feed them fresh, locally grown Gysahl Greens and get a whiff of that poignant, yet strangely endearing odor from which frequent riders usually suffer. What are they talking about, "they stink?" I'm sure they smell like- He thought of the many things he expected them to smell of, green meadows, Cleigne wheat fields, riding through the expanse as if flying. He could perfectly imagine it if it weren't for the loud noise rumbling in his ears. And the droplets on his face.

Prompto sat up, alert. The sky was crystal clear a moment ago. It is now rumbling thunder and pouring rain, intensifying by the second. The only time he had seen this happen-

The hulk of a man that was vegetative in the chair adjacent to his sprang to life. "Shit, not again," he grunted and ran into the tent. Prompto hurried after him, his gut quickly twisting into a knot. "What's going on, Gladio?" His voice was whisked away by the brewing storm.

As Gladiolus got into the tent, Prompto looked from outside to find Ignis hunched over his best friend. Prompto's breath hitched and he froze at the sight of Noctis writhing, panting and groaning, soaked in sweat, as if fending off an imaginary daemon. Ignis was attempting and failing to restrain him. Gladio was at Noctis's head now, holding his arms up and slapping him hard.

"Snap out of it, kid!"

"Gladio! We both know that will only make it worse!" managed Ignis, in between wrestling and dodging the Lucian's armigers that seemed to be conjured up momentarily just to evaporate again. "I need your weight, not your temper."

Noctis kept groaning, straining and occasionally materializing a random weapon in his hands, which were held under Gladio's secure grip. Some of them did manage to scrape and cut him, but he dodged around any serious injury, swearing under his breath.

"Smelling salts?"

"We're out."

"Ungh. Is that a gold needle?"

"Whatever works."

Ignis had straddled Noctis and was administering his potions, remedies, golden hourglasses and whatever may have the slightest chance of soothing, to no avail, while occasionally bending to whisper inaudible things in Noctis's ears and wiping a stream of sweat off his forehead.

The air inside was spinning with crystal dust.

"Guys, what do I do?! Ignis!" Prompto quickly back-stepped to dodge a wayward Star of the Rogue, ripping out of the tent flap just to disappear as quickly as it appeared. "Let me help." He grabbed a flashlight and, in his panic, had as much trouble turning it on as if it was a manic cactuar.

"Just keep a safe distance," yelled Gladio.

"Please, let me help! I'll hold his legs while-"

"No need," interrupted Ignis. "He believes he's paralyzed from the waist down."

"What- uh, T-then lemme get some smelling salts."

"Some stronger Paracast would be nice," mumbled Gladio.

"Gladio!" chastised Ignis, again.

"Don't leave," strained Noctis. "Don't leave me," at which everyone stopped bickering.

After a moment's silence, Ignis commanded. "Get out. Both of you."

"What? No way.."

"And let him impale you?"

"If you want your prince and yourselves unharmed, leave at once," barked the strategist. Gladio gave him a look of pure faith, let go of Noctis's arms and ran off, pulling a frozen Prompto with him.

By now Prompto was hyperventilating almost as badly as the unconcscious prince was. He wanted to help. It killed him to see his childhood friend in a hysterical state the likes of which he had never seen. He also did not want to be scorched to death by a misdirected lightning bolt and, by the flapping and tearing of what used to be their trusty, weather-proof tent, that was soon to follow. "What's wrong with him, Gladio?! He's never been like this," he yelled over the roaring thunder and torrential wind.

"He has." Gladio picked up his shield in one hand, put the other on the now drenched chocoboy's shoulder and kept his eyes up, watching for a particularly angry man in the sky. "We dealt with it. Just have faith in Ignis. He's calmed him down before. He'll do it again."

This was far from reassuring. "These aren't your average night horrors! Didn't you see how much pain he was in?" Prompto started to go back into the tent "Lemme just hold his hand or something."

Gladio grabbed the back of his jean jacket. "Stay put and wait!"

"But he needs us! He said so!" Prompto wriggled out of his jacket.

"It wasn't us, ya dace." he dropped his shield, grabbed both his arms this time and held him back. "Listen!"

"Dude, he needs us! What kind of guard are you, leaving your future king alone when he needs you most?!"

"Just listen, damn it."

In his frantic shouting, Prompto failed to notice that the rain was now slightly less than a downpour, the sky was slightly less than beaming with lightning and the wind was slightly less than furious. That it was not getting any worse was enough to calm him down a little.

They both stood there in silence for an agonizing length of time, within the bounds of the unsafe haven. Prompto started pacing back and forth across from the tent, eyes fixed firmly on it, now that the menace was less likely to come from above.

"What's he doing?"

Gladiolus remained silent.

"Think it's okay to check in on Noct now?"

"Just wait."

The wind died down enough for them to hear each other, but Prompto's worry was only growing more intense. How could he not have known about this happening to his best friend? And the latter being the raging Royal Arm waving, manically phasing, blade wielding psycho that he is right now, how could he leave him alone with his other friend? Under the crushing weight of worry, and the way the brain tends to malfunction under anxiety, he absent-mindedly began to mumble a tune to himself.

come on down to the neatest nest in town

Jolly good fun and a mouthful of happiness

Crow's gonna flip around that frown

Kenny Crow, Kenny Crow-

"For cryin' out loud..." the hulk sighed.

After what felt like eternity, the blond snapped "I can't take it anymore. I'mmona check on them." and dashed toward the tent, at the other man's objections, then came to an abrupt halt when an extremely disheveled Ignis emerged out of it.

He was without his glasses, his hair and the remainder of his shirt were damp with sweat, clinging to him, and he was holding a phial of megapotion that he lifted with a shaking hand and used on himself, as the two came to his side.

"He's fine. He's sound asleep." He reassured them before they could ask.

By 8:00am, the ever gleaming Regalia was breezing down the road on a clear, sunny morning, through the cool shade of a lush fir forest. An unusually pensive Prompto sat in the passenger seat. On his left was a typically stoic, meticulously dressed Ignis, betraying no sign of distress to the average observer, except the fact that he was on his 3rd can of Ebony already. Behind him, safe and sound, snored a beatific King-to-be, occasionally falling to the side onto his loyal bodyguard, who jerked up from his extremely focused attempt to read a book with his eyes closed.

Prompto was absent-mindedly fidgeting with the camera in his lap, mentally noting how smoothly this whole affair went, considering. Earlier before the crack of dawn, Ignis had taken the Regalia up to Coernix Station and returned to replace the tent, two chairs, healing items and miscellaneous goods that had been blown away to oblivion. Afterwards, he carried on making everyone breakfast and briefing the party on their plans for the day, Noctis only coming out of the newly erected tent at the end, complaining that Ignis must have snored like a Garula because he didn't seem to get enough rest last night.

Recalling what little Gladiolus told him, Prompto was wondering how often that happened before and whether Noctis even knew about it, and exactly how much he hid from him about himself, when his train of thought was interrupted by a light slap on his left thigh. He looked up to find Ignis looking at him, eyebrows pleading and lips curled in a genuine smile. He gestured with a nod at the road ahead and Prompto looked. Up in the distance, a flamboyantly yellow silo peeped through the towering fir trees and, just ahead, he could make out a bright yellow sign on the side of the road, welcoming one and all.

"You alright?" asked Ignis, occasionally taking his eyes off the road to look at Prompto, half smiling and half concerned at not getting the reaction he expected from him.

"Y-yeah, thanks," was Prompto's natural response. "Wait, no! No, I'm not alright-" he scowled in a lower voice than he would have wanted, "and neither should you be! How come you're acting like nothing happened last night?"  
Ignis's smile faded but he did not seem to respond. Prompto scowled further, crossed his arms and looked ahead.

"Yanno, you really need to learn how to share. If we're gonna keep travelling together, kicking Imperial butt together and raising chocobos together-"

"Renting."

"Ugh, renting chocobos together, you're gonna have to be more open with us, especially when it concerns our sleeping beauty over there."

A hand slapped him upside the head from behind. "Stop bullying our driver," followed a hushed growl from an annoyed bodyguard.

"What- I'm not- watch the hair, okay?"

"There's a time for talking and this ain't it. What happened happened, we're still alive and we have a long trip ahead of us, so can it."

"Still alive?!" Prompto turned around in his seat to face the backseat, his knees on the chair and the wind blowing in his hair. "By a friggin' miracle! I was this close to being turned into a crispy prompto kebab!" He shoved his thumb and index finger into Gladio's deadpan face as if holding an invisible ant. "In a friggin' haven! Not cool, man. You guys may be too old and, like, battle-hardened to feel anything in your stone-cold hearts but I'm not okay!"

The car swerved as it came to a hard stop, which made Prompto fall over onto Ignis, who calmly palmed prompto's face back onto his seat.

Noctis got a rude awakening by the front seat head rest. "Hnn! Ignis, what the f-"

"We have arrived at our destination. You may unbuckle your seatbelts or unbreak your noses if you weren't wearing them," declared their driver nonchalantly.

"I'mmona die on this trip," breathed an exasperated Prompto. "And not by Imperial hands."

"Bwaha. Get off your pretty ass and let's go pick you a chocobo." Laughed Gladiolus. "You might just find one that rivals your own hair."

"I Don't! Have! Chocobo! Hair!"

"No, you're right," contributed Noctis as he stepped out with the rest and stretched. "Chocobos have Prom hair."

"Oiii." Prompto bent over, mock-scratched the ground with one leg before charging at Noctis. "Kick De Chocobo!" at which Noctis feigned the most feminine shriek he could muster and ran away with his knees together and arms flailing. They ran off head-butting each other to the stables.

Ignis and Gladiolus both leaned back on the Regalia, looking down the dirt road at them.

"That was a lotta new downs you got from the store."

"Anticipating worst case scenarios is the role of a good tactician."

"We had plenty yesterday."

"Six, to be exact."

A faint squeal from ahead. "Uwaaah~ the smell is awesoooome."

"They ran out, didn't they."

…

"Yes."

…

"Remind me again how many armigers the kid got so far."

…

"Six, to be exact."

"...So it's true what they're for?"

Ignis sighed. "As far as I could tell, but there is no knowing for certain just yet."

He took off his glasses, reached in the inside pocket of his jacket for a cloth, wiped his lenses with it meditatively and then put them back on. "Since the recent events are only exacerbating his condition, we ought to make haste accordingly. Let us keep these excursions to a minimum for the sake of our prince, shall we?" He started walking to the ranch. The other guard followed.

"For the sake of our friend, we should make the most of what little joy we can wrest outta this deep pile of shit he found himself in. Especially if your theory is true."

"M-hm. We're all in this 'deep shit' together."

"Ooh, Specs. There's hope for you yet."

"GUYS!" Prompto came running and blurting out syllables like the rapid fire of his gun. "YOU'LLNEVERBELIEVEWHATHAPPENEDTHEY'RENOTRENTINGCHOCOBOSTHERANCHISCLOSEDCAUSETHERE'STHISBIGBEHEMOTHTERRORIZINGTHEPOORCHOCOBOSWEGOTTADOSOMETHINGWEMUSTTAKEOUTTHEBADBEHEMOTHANDSAVETHECHOCOBOS-"

"Just got deeper."

"Appears so."


	2. Chapter 2

With the setting sun, the four travellers were passing stealthily through a dark thicket, littered by throngs of fallen tree trunks, sets of 7-foot gashes along their lengths. Gladiolus is heading the party, followed by Prompto, Noctis and Ignis. As Noctis misstepped on a branch, it broke, causing the man in front of him to jump with fright.

"My bad."

"Watch it, Noct!" Prompto begged, looking back at the offending man but barely seeing much beyond him through the thick fog. "I'd like to get outta this with my pants reasonably dry, okay?"

"Dream big, hero."

"Quiet." Ignis interjected.

Suddenly, an arm from the front reached over the grumbling two and pushed them down to the ground without warning, hiding them and himself beneath ruins and vine. Ignis quickly followed suit.

The fog was briefly swept away by movement, sending a malignant stench in its stead, and the ground beneath them rumbled. Less than ten feet above, they could make out a dark, monstrous form the size of a mammoth lurching overhead, steady gnarling under its breath. Fangs the size of grown men dripped with thick saliva and a horn extended eight feet to the front.

The beast turned its head and the party collectively held their breath. They noted the right horn was broken at the hilt and the eye below it was clawed shut, evincing their target: Deadeye.

After it left the immediate vicinity, they kept crawling ahead and advancing through bushes, under rocks and over immense bones until they reached an open area that appeared to be its lair. It was particularly littered with bones and flattened patches of grass and surrounded by ruins of what might have once been a temple of some sort.

"Holy shit…To think this could be the grave of those beautiful chocobos." Prompto shuddered at the thought and braced himself to prevent it, completely unaware that said fate could very well be his own.

Ignis took a few seconds to study the area and made a mental note of the canisters strewn about.

"Hold on, I have devised a plan. If executed properly, it should give us a considerable advanta- Wait!"

Noctis had already materialized his blade, thrown it directly at the behemoth's other eye and warped to it.

"That idiot!" Gladiolus ran after him.

"Too late for stealth, I guess" Prompto followed. "Come on, Iggy."

Noctis's warp strike missed its mark, landing right over his eye, and Deadeye jerked up, growling, but Noctis used his position to his advantage, holding onto the giant horn with one hand and, with the other, attempting another stab. He did not account, however, for the sheer centrifugal force its immense body generated as it turned, throwing him a few feet ahead. Then, it raised its front claws in the air and dropped them in one swift motion to gouge the offending imbecile to death, but it broke through the metal of Gladiolus's shield instead. The Sworn Shield grunted and threw what was left of it at the behemoth's head, followed by an explosive shot from prompto and a venom-laced set of daggers to its hind leg from Ignis. Deadeye roared, only seeming more enraged and more dangerous.

Noctis warped again, this time switching strategies and landing across from the gorging beast on a stone pillar behind him. As he threw a blade and dispersed into a crystalline shadow of himself, Prompto and Ignis knew he was going for a blindside and they moved.

"Noct, I gotcha." Yelled Prompt as he ran closer for a fiery shot. As the blade hit the back of the beast's head, it rose up in agitation. Noctis landed there in a split-second, but instead of striking there, he instead grabbed the fur on the back of its neck, swinging to the front to slice across the throat while Deadeye's head was up. The blade cut through skin and muscle but failed to slice deep enough to do fatal damage. Nevertheless, Deadeye thundered and turned hysterically, flailing its massive tail. As Prompto was, then, close to Deadeye's back, thinking it would be vulnerable to a group attack, he was swept into the air by a tail with the strength and girth of Deadeye's torso. He slammed against a rock far from the scene and dropped to the ground, coughing blood, as Deadeye kept raging, flailing from behind and clawing to the front. Gladiolus took most of his frontal assaults with a greatsword acting as a shield and yelled in between hits and swings. "Noct! Ugh- Help Prompto!"

Ignis had used his lance to jump onto Deadeye's back, sinking it deep into its mid back, where he had held on for a chance at a group strike. Gripping the lance and digging another dagger into rock-hard muscle, he was able to remain on top, but not to find a quick route to Prompto unless he gets a moment's stillness to jump again. "Noct! Warp to Prompto!" he called along with Gladiolus.

Noctis was standing ahead of Deadeye, squarely in his vision and repeatedly warping at his face with a blade, dodging its bites, while Gladiolus took the brunt of its lower attacks. "Noct, for Six' sake!"

The constant warping to and fro sent crackles and sparks into the air, burning blue, and the brighter Noctis burned the more he attracted the beast's attention. Finally it fixed all its attention on its attacker and dug its claws into the ground, prepared to pounce. Ignis seized this moment of stillness to pull out his lance at an excruciating angle, drawing as much poisoned blood as he could and somersaulting off to his fallen comrade's aid.

The Behemoth did not so much as flinch before it lunged, first to the side, landing against a set of broken pillars and then pushing against them toward Noctis's flank, its muscular body twisting to deliver a mighty blow. It saw Noctis phase out again, having thrown his sword far above himself to the sky. Deadeye landed skidding in the dirt and bracing to lunge up again. Noctis materialized 30 feet up and held his sword down, toward the behemoth lunging up at him. While falling, he quickly warpstruck, arriving before the beast had expected and landing his sword, and then himself, right into its left eye, both falling to the ground.

Ignis popped Prompto a potion and helped him up. "No rest for the wicked."

"No kidding." He coughed lightly "Thanks, Iggy. I'm good."

The two prepared to join the other two for an all out attack on the now vulnerable behemoth, but they stopped in their tracks, as had Gladiolus. The three watched as a blazing flurry of blades hailed on it from all angles. Noctis was continuously warpstriking him with his sword, too quick for the fallen monster's flailing claws. He slashed and thrust and warped and thrust again, while the air around him burst and crackled. Deadeye tried to balance itself and get up when Ignis yelled "Gladio! The tail!" to which Gladiolus immediately acted. He swung his greatsword in an ecliptic torrent, launching it in the air to have it land on Deadeye's tail, cutting cleanly through it and robbing the beast of its balance, keeping it writhing on the ground. Finally, one more powerful warpstrike from above dug deep into its heart and it let out a roar that shook the whole forest.

"Whoa…" exclaimed Prompto.

Gladiolus approached the beast to make sure it was dead and then proceeded to break its other horn as a trade-in for extra gil. He lifted an end under one arm, the other end dragging across the ground, and started walking back with it, stomping past an exhausted Noctis on the ground.

As prompto ran up to help Gladio with the other end, Ignis walked up to Noctis to check on him, both still panting. He saw the prince's skin was blistered and his clothes were singed. He reached out a hand and Noctis looked up at him. Then, he saw it: a deep crimson glow in his dazed eyes. Noctis blinked at him like he hardly recognized him. He blinked again twice when he called his name, the crimson slowly dying out into ink blue.

"You alright?" Ignis's words finally started to form meaning.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He took his advisor's hand, got up and followed him back down the path.

Finally out of the dense fog and thick brush, they decided to camp at Ausace Haven for the night to replenish their strength.

Gladiolus was taking equipment out of the Regalia while Ignis was setting up his utensils and Noctis washing up last after having set up the tent. Prompto was laying out chairs and listing all the things he was going to buy with the 5500gil they made tonight.

Gladiolus saw the latter had a hard time bending down to unfold the chairs and lining the fire pit with stones.

"Sit down, Prom. You've had enough injuries for one night. Don't want you catching fire now."

"Dude, you ever seen me blow anything up beside the baddies?" Prompto objected.

"Well, that bush near camp the other day," mused Gladiolus.

"The Regalia," contributed Ignis, from the makeshift counter.

"Iggy's hair," added Gladiolus, hunching at the fire pit to keep from laughing.

"Okay, okay, point taken. No hard feelings, Iggy, yeah?" Prompto conceded.

"Water under the bridge."

"Well, tonight you deserve somethin' more like a bonfire, fit for a behemoth slayer," declared Gladiolus while using an elemency trick he learned. He took a step back to cast and the pit burst into a huge flame, rising high and crackling loudly.

"Woohoo! Light it up, baby! Check it out, Noct. Proper victory fire." Prompto called out, plopping down on a chair and taking his much deserved break, and Noctis soon came over to follow suit, scrubbing wet hair with a towel.

"Yeah! We're having behemoth steak tonight." He exclaimed. "What do you say, Iggy?"

"I would be more than happy to take on the challenge," responded Ignis, firing up his propane grill under a pot of stew, "but poisoned flesh may not be so palatable to your royal pickiness."

"Ah, shit. Why did you have to go and poison the thing?" Noctis scowled and kicked a small rock. "We could've been feasting tonight."

"My apologies." Ignis responded automatically, unperturbed.

Gladiolus broke a branch from the fire pit he was grabbing for too long. Then, he stood up, turned on his foot to face Noctis and dealt him his heaviest punch squarely in the jaw. The latter toppled back, spitting blood.

"Dude, whoa, hey!" Prompto shot up.

"Fuck's wrong with you?" barked Gladiolus at the prince. "Is that all you have to say to the people who saved your life? The friends you almost got killed tonight?"

Ignis put a hand on the furious man. "That's enough, Gladio."

"I've had enough of his shit." Gladiolus shrugged his hand aside and stepped closer to Noctis, looking him in the eye, the latter now just as tense and staring him back with defiance, ready to fight back.

"Just because we've sworn an oath to protect him doesn't mean he can throw us under the bus like that." He kept staring at Noctis while talking about him in third person.

"I never asked for your protection." Noctis replied in a slow, toneless voice.

Gladiolus kept going. "Prompto wouldn't be here without your help, Ignis."

"Dude, I'm fine. Really. Chill." Prompto interjected, stepping between them. "It was my mistake, I messed up."

"No, you were being a teammate while his royal highness, prince can't-be-assed was being an ass." Gladiolus enunciated, pushing back the other man at the last word.

"Hey, who killed the damned thing?!" Noctis snapped, stepping closer ahead, nose to nose, only to get pulled back by Prompto and Ignis. "You should be thanking me!"

Gladiolus threw his head back in frustration. "Six help me, I'mmona kill this kid," He uttered under his breath and paced around the fire once, while Prompto held Noctis's arm and Ignis looked at his lip gash.

When Gladiolus came around, a little more composed but just as tense, he asked, "If you're so bent on hunting solo, why didn't you defend yourself, huh? Could've conjured up your shield instead of me breakin' mine for you."

Noctis looked aside to the distance, scowling.

Gladiolus continued, "Hell, why didn't you use those armigers we busted our asses to get you? You could've spared all of us a couple hundred bruises."

"Look, I don't tell you how to use your weapons, you don't tell me how to use mine." Noctis countered. "Breaking your shield was your mistake, not mine."

"Damn right, it was. Should've let him have you." Gladiolus instantly retorted.

"Gladio!" Prompto was ajar.

"Gladiolus Amicitia," bellowed Ignis, "that's quite enough!" He stepped in front of his childhood friend and put one hand to his chest. "Take a walk."

Gladiolus grimaced at the other's touch, leaving the other to wonder exactly how much damage he had sustained earlier. The sworn shield was always one to wear his scars proudly but never his pain.

"Please," whispered Ignis, "not before his bedtime." He searched the man's face for a sign that he understood.

Gladiolus blinked in consent, took a few steps backwards, one arm pointing at Noctis.

"Teach the kid some military courtesy, Ignis, or I won't be caught hunting with him again." He turned around, picked his jacket off the back of a chair and stormed off.

"Don't go too far, Gladio! It's way too dark!" was all Prompto could yell at him, before returning his attention to Noctis. "Hey, man, I really don't blame you for anything..." He looked down, then away. "But," he risked.

"You did ignore every single order I gave you," came Ignis to his rescue, "and for that I'm going to have to ask you to spare some time early morning tomorrow and come with me." Ignis calmly said, while momentarily dabbing the corner of Noctis's lips with something that stung him, then turning back to the makeshift counter.

"What? What for?" Noctis groaned.

"You heard the man," replied Ignis. "You're long due for a lesson on communication." He turned back to the two, handing Prompto a steaming bowl of Lestallum stewed tripe.

"I would like you to finish this, Prompto, if you can," He asked. "I've infused it specially for regeneration. You'll feel better in the morning. You too, Noct."

"S-sure, thanks." Prompto examined it and found it lacking in behemoth. "Uh, why are there...melted honeycomb chunks in it, though?" Prompto picked at them with a spoon in fascination. "What are they?"

Ignis had taken off his apron, picked up an ice-cold bottle of Uncle Randell's from the cooler and was leaving in the direction Gladiolus had gone. "You wanted to celebrate by eating something dead, did you not? Have fun guessing."

The fire had settled into its usual size and the two friends remained silent for a while, as Noctis poked around random chunks in the pot and eventually ladled himself some broth into a mug. His hair now a frizzy mess, he sighed and sat cross-legged in the chair next to Prompto's, the latter tapping away his anxiety with King's Knight.

"Say, Noct…"

"Hm?"

Noct automatically picked up his phone, while sipping his dinner with his other hand, and joined prompto like he does every night. By then, it had become a habit they no longer think about.

"Last night,..."

"What about it?"

They beat the stage boss in a matter of seconds and moved on to the next stage.

"Well, do you remember any of it?"

"Dibs."

"All yours."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, like," Prompto struggled to find the right segway.

"Hey, you're dying."

"Ah." Prompto kept tapping.

"Forget it." Prompto finally decided.

"...Hm."

"Thanks, Noct."

Noctis looked up at Prompto from his phone.

"For today, I mean," continued Prompto. "I know saving some chocobos from a behemoth wasn't exactly first on your priority list...with everything that's been goin' on." He looked to his side. "But your help defeating it really meant a lot to me and...well, I want you to know, no matter what Gladio said, you're a hero tonight." Prompto jabbed the other man on the shoulder.

"Dude," replied Noctis, flatly. "Chocobos are always my first priority."

Prompto chuckled a little too hard. "Right."

The two friends tapped and chatted themselves to sleep, under a peaceful night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Ignis wiped a plate clean with a cloth, set it gently with gloved hands on a high stack of other, spotless plates and sighed.

The hustle and bustle of chefs and stewards around him kept him from thinking, even if he found the menial tasks helped. They appreciated him volunteering to help around the kitchen, anyway, and they didn't need to know that he only volunteered because the kitchen afforded him easy access to the library after hours without being seen. He couldn't wait for night time, when all hands left the citadel, to sneak back in there. There was so much more he wanted to read about ancient Solheim and the forbidden sciences they dabbled in, entire halls and aisles where no members of the public were allowed access, no photography was permitted and no tour packages included. Why any knowledge at all was held from anyone was beyond him and not even the royal advisor, his own uncle, had given him a satisfactory answer.

"Your academic aptitude is exceeded only by your curiosity, dear boy, and for that you have your mother's side of the family to thank, but I fear there are some subjects that are simply unfit for the consumption of 10-year-old boys."

Ignis walked through dark hallways of opulently carved marble, snickering that his uncle failed to realize that he owed his aptitude to the phenomenally photographic memory he had to develop, since he couldn't take notes or photos straight from those books.

He heard footsteps and stopped in his tracks. _Four, five people, some in armor?_

There was an unsettling rush in those steps and he heard multiple, urgent voices. He recognized the voice of Clarus Amicitia, the shield of the king, among others. Curious why he would be here at this hour, he ran to the main hall where a group of people were running across to the elevators. As he ran into the lobby, and just before the elevator doors closed, Ignis saw Clarus's giant figure behind them, holding something in his arms. No, it was a person- a very small, fragile thing of a person, draping off his arms like a lifeless rag doll.

Ignis gasped and his stomach twisted. He took a few steps back to catch himself and try to process what he just saw. Then, he realized someone else was still standing behind him, a tall, black-clad figure in the middle of the dark lobby. He was silhouetted against the moonlight coming from the doors, but Ignis could never mistake such a presence that exuded authority.

"Y-your highness?"

The boy's words seemed to pull the man back from a trance.

King Regis looked at Ignis and the latter could have sworn, seeing his moonlit visage, that he had aged a decade overnight. Life seemed to be draining out of every shallow breath he let out.

"What are you-" The man attempted, but only a cracked whisper came out of his dry mouth. He took another trembling breath, cleared his throat, straightened up and tried again, regaining some semblance of his usual composure.

"Raiding my books again, Scientia?" He asked as gently as he seemed to be able to pull off, with a pained smile that made Ignis's heart clench and his throat swell.

"M- My apologies, your highness. Is- Is Noctis…"

"Alive, yes."

The king finally took a few steps ahead to stand next to Ignis, eyes fixed on the elevator doors, trying to preserve an afterimage like it was the final moment of his son's childhood.

"Noctis... He is a boy destined for great things. I know in my heart that he is strong enough to face what is to come. I just never…" his voice failed him again, "Not so soon…"

He took a deep breath and whispered a prayer. "Forgive me, Aulea."

Ignis was at a loss for words. He only stared at the man's royal raiment, its silver threads now blackened like the rest of it with dry blood. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder and the latter wasn't sure if it was to comfort him or to lean on him. But as if the king's touch alone elicited something in him, he looked up at him.

"He's not alone. He never will be," came a resounding affirmation from Ignis that surprised even himself. The king looked down at him and the furrow of his eyebrows smoothed ever so slightly. He tightened his grip on his shoulder for a couple of seconds before letting go with a pat.

A slew of the king's retinue rushed over to his side and ushered him to the elevators after his son, leaving Ignis behind.

He stood there for a few more seconds as the lobby grew silent again, then realized how badly he needed to see Noctis. He darted to the staircase and climbed, as fast as his feet could take him, up to the 15th floor where the prince's quarters were, avoiding security and leaving the elevators for the doctors. As he climbed, all he could think about was Noctis and his destiny, as his father put it. Ignis already knew all about the royal bloodline. He knew that little, fragile boy was going to be the next king of Lucis, the 114th of his line, keeper of the old wall and the new, guardian of the crystal, and his reign would be a war-torn one.

He also knew why his uncle had him undergo extensive tutelage, grooming him for his own position and making sure he would be up to the task. After all, it would be very the least the boy could offer to repay the king's grace of taking him into his home after he had lost his own.

He panted and ran even faster.

Neither the king nor his advisor knew, however. They didn't know that, from the moment he saw that dark-haired, blue-eyed boy- from the moment he saw the loneliness and loss in those eyes that seemed to reflect his own, it never mattered who this boy was. Ignis had already vowed that he would never let him feel alone again.

He made it onto the floor, almost falling over at a sharp turn, and ran through a hallway, passing a few crownsguard that yelled something behind him. The hallway grew quieter as he approached then stood in front of large, open doors. Beyond them he could see him lying there, as if he were merely sound asleep, if he wasn't surrounded by a multitude of medical personnel, a few of which addressing the king. All Ignis could manage to hear was "If you absolutely must...recovered enough...long journey to Fenestral Manor," before he was yanked away by the shoulder by a furious hand.

"Scourge take you, boy, I thought I'd told you-" whispered advisor Crescio through his teeth.

"Are you taking him to Tenebrae?! Let me come along. Please," Ignis pleaded, still panting.

The other sighed "It is out of my hand."

"Please, I'm begging you."

The old man stared back at the boy's desperate eyes that yet burned with the insufferable tenacity of his mother's.

"When the prince regains some strength, I shall see what I can do. But you realize Tenebrae is-"

"Imperial territory, yes."

"Even at the Oracle's manor-"

"It's not safe, yes. Even more of a reason."

 _Insufferable._

"I shall see what I can do."

"Thank you."

As his uncle headed back inside, closing the doors behind him, Ignis got one last glimpse of the comatose prince. He adjusted his shirt, turned on his heel and started back up the hallway. Never has he needed his books so urgently, and now he had some very specific subjects in mind to brush up on.

"You're going to get better."

* * *

"Noctis. Wake up."

Barely squinting eyes tested the light. The tent flap barely let any rays inside. Normally he would only wake up under unbearably piercing rays. "Hnn…" Noctis groaned, as he remembered why he was being woken so early.

"I'll be waiting for you outside." The curt man tapped him on the shoulder and left.

He sat up, making a mental vow that his first legislative act after his coronation would be to ban any public or private sector from working before 9 A.M. and, as Ignis would be the first to break it, he would make an example out of him to all other overachievers. He would have him sit in a room with absolutely nothing to do, plan, moderate or study. A week would be enough to drive him insane, he mused.

"So why are we getting you groceries at 5 in the morning again?" Noctis asked as the two men walked along the south bank of Alstor Slough.

"If you fail to appreciate even the vast superiority of wild onions over farmed varieties, I see little reason to explain the benefit of harvesting them as early in the morning as possible, but that is beside the point. I'd come across a wanted poster at our last stop asking for a few brave hunters such as yourself." Ignis replied and then pointed ahead toward a small rock formation.

"A large number of killer bees in that area is to be thinned out to mitigate habitat destruction."

"You're having me train on bees?" Noctis scoffed. "Well, It's a bit of a step-up from behemoths but I'll do my best."

"I wouldn't underestimate their numbers if I were you. Besides, I don't want you to simply charge at them in your usual…" He raised an eyebrow at the other man, "haphazard manner."

"Oh yeah? Want me to do it blindfolded?" Noctis was up for the challenge.

"On the contrary. I would like you to pay attention and consider the advantage of teamwork and communication." The advisor continued, as they came over the rocks where a massive swarm of killer bees grew agitated by their presence.

Noctis wasted no time materializing his sword and swinging it back, preparing to throw it at the nearest bee. Ignis grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down into a crouch.

"Hey!" Noctis almost fell back.

"Listen. I'm going to mark out a striking pattern for you and you're going to follow it. Strike only the ones I mark for you in the order I do so. Is that understood?"

"Uh...sounds less like teamwork and more like dictatorship. Is that really necessary"

"Noctis, there's a lot more to fighting side by side than the literal. I do want you to utilize your own strengths, but I also need you to trust in mine."

Noctis looked at him for a few seconds, then at the swarm of venomous bees ahead. A few of them came buzzing at them, stingers primed. Notis got up to fend them off with his sword, slashing across one and swatting another to the ground to be lanced by Ignis. The swarm grew more hostile and much larger numbers followed.

Ignis continued. "Since you've grown fond of warpstrikes, I can calculate a path for you through a number of them with precise distances from you-" he dodged a stinger, then another, "enough that you would kill each with a single warp."

"Hngh! Fuck, that hurts." Noctis grimaced at having been stung and grew frustrated. "Fine, I'll try it your way, then."

Ignis nodded and raised his right hand to materialize a dagger. "Watch carefully," he commanded, and threw it at a far bee, materialized another in his left, flung it at another, and repeated a quick barrage of daggers that Noctis tried to follow. "Go!" signalled Ignis and Noctis went for it, warping far to the first one marked, which died instantly. He warped to the next, also killing it, then looked around, through a army of them with a deafening drone, blotting out the sun and bombarding him with attacks. He grunted and fell back a few steps, losing his target.

"Noctis!"

Noctis could only blindly throw his sword up and then, in mid-air, find a clearing on the ground to warp back to. As he hit the ground with a crackle, he heard his advisor from further behind. "Are you alright?"

Noctis nodded and bounced up. "Again."

This time, Ignis repeated his marking with fewer daggers and just a little more slowly. "Go."

Noctis launched himself. One instant kill, then another and another. He killed the last one with a yell "Again!"

Ignis obeyed, with the same number of targets but quicker. "Careful not to burn out, Noctis."

The Lucian kept going at a blinding speed, ricocheting through them like a bullet, leaving crystal blue shadows and falling corpses in his wake. Whenever he felt his skin burn, he would warp out to a high branch on a tree to cool down for only a couple seconds as he watched Ignis mark him his new route.

The droning cloud lifted little by little and the sky cleared. As the final strike felled the last of them, Ignis materialized one last dagger and sent it into the ground between his feet. The air in front of him crackled with heat and a dark-haired punk genie appeared, with a triumphant grin on his stung, swollen face. Behind singed bangs, Ignis found beaming, cerulean eyes looking back at him and he let go of the breath he was holding.

He then tried to suppress a laugh at the sight he took in, only to sputter into a fit while Noctis stood there, panting. "Is this your plan?" the smoking genie spoke with a lisp. "Have me do all the work while you laugh at my pain?"

Ignis coughed, shaking his head in apology "You did well, for a pawn in training." He took out an antidote spray of his own making and held Noctis's chin with his other hand, tilting his head to the side "Close your eyes."

Noctis pouted before feeling a cold, refreshing mist soothe his sore face and neck..

"I'm genuinely impressed. Your ability to cooperate surpassed my expectations," exclaimed the advisor.

The other shot him a wink and a click of his tongue. "Wait 'til you see me tackle those onions." he started the trek back toward the lake.

"Man, don't know what you put in your food but it sure helps."

Ignis smiled, then followed his prince.

"Only the finest."

* * *

AN: Thanks a lot for faving and following and I apologize for not replying...I'm new here and don't really know how yet! But anyways. Thought I'd give Ignis's uncle a last name (assuming he's his uncle on his mother's side) since I haven't found his official name. Figured he should take the name Crescent after Lucrecia Crescent, an epic scientist, and Freya Crescent, an epic dragoon. Since Ignis is basically a mix of the two. Plus, I can imagine him being Sephiroth's brother, them being curious bookworms and all :P  
Also, yeah I can feel some heated Ignoct coming up...at some point...eventually. for now, I'm going to poke around the chocobros' psyches a bit further. Comments and critique always welcome and cherished 3


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